Don't worry about those statements. People on this forum constantly have FF moment, a synptom close to senior moment that involves the pateint to cite personal imagination as the reality.

^^^

Wouldn't the UAE National Day today be a great opportunity to reveal the new tier?

No it's about celebrating the unity of the nation not aligning a ffp because of a potential tie in with another airline

EK announced the Flex/Saver changes to Skywards sometime in mid-oct-09 to be effective 1-Jan-10. Assuming they follow the same pattern for announcing the 4th tier (maybe not that big a change, but still a significant one for the program), my guess would be that the chance of seeing the 4th tier become effective from Jan 2013 doesn't seem so bright. (I'd love to be proven wrong though ).

Do you mean Jan 2013?

Yes, I meant Jan 2013. Sry for the typo.

Reading through this trhead I am surprised at how little creativity there is in thinking of additional benefits for Platinums. Or not even creativity, just copy/paste benefits from other FFPs.

Here are a number of things found on other programs that would also be useful on EK and could be offered to Platinums:

• 24h booking guarantee, for all flights, on any day, for Y and J
• Access to the F lounge (just as M&M HON Circle members have access to the FCT/FCL in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, New York, Geneva)
• Gold card for spouse/partner
• Partner awards, i.e. when taking award for two pax second ticket requires only 50% of miles
• Upgrade vouchers for every 50k tier miles earned (replace that number with whatever you like)
• Meet & great service at outstations that fast track security and immigration

I obviously understand that some of these things pose a problem if given to too many people. But then just set the threshold high enough (how about 200k earned in F and J?). I think the best case study in a fourth tier that offers some distinct benefits and not just slighty-better-than-gold is M&M HON Circle. Whilst they have realized several years after the launch that there are too many HONs and therefore make access more difficult, the list of benefits is a good one. EK can learn from LH's mistakes, after all the chap who designed it all at Lufthansa, Thierry Antinori, is now the CxO (CMO I believe? or CCO?) of Emirates. So he has all the insights.

What the folks here think of, even if they were the most creative ones on the planet, doesn't really matter. What matters is what the folks in Skywards are thinking...

I think these are all good ideas. However, you have opened a can of worms with the F-lounge access, there are plenty on here that are dead-set against such.

It's a number crunching game.

They need to be careful if they downgrade or reclassify gold for those that don't quite make platinum. The squeezed middle!

Oh well, too bad.

ASX announcment:

"The Emirates and Qantas frequent flyer programs will be aligned, giving customers expanded opportunities to earn and redeem points. Emirates and Qantas will provide reciprocal access to tier status benefits including end-to-end customer recognition, lounge access, priority check-in and boarding and other exclusive services."

Alan Joyce speech:

"In our discussions Tim and I came up with a guiding principle for this partnership: Treat each other's customers as your own. Our two airlines will, of course, retain their distinct style and identity, but we will match key customer benefits. Where there is a difference in customer service, we've agreed to make the higher benefit our standard."

From qantas.com under platinum benefits:

"Relax or catch up on work in any Qantas Club, International First or Domestic Business Lounge when travelling on Qantas, Jetstar Airlines or oneworld alliance airline flight. Plus access associated lounges when flying Qantas or access oneworld airline lounges around the world when flying on a oneworld alliance airline"

I look forward to crashing the Dubai F lounge and finally getting out of that brothel they call the J lounge.

A reciprocal lounge access agreement does not imply that there will necessarily be acceess by Qantas members to the 1st class lounge nor access by Emirates members to the Qantas 1st class lounges

The agreement could well be that each others members can access the business lounges

Until there is information published by EK & QF, anything is just speculation

Hopefully imo, they will keep the 1st lounge for 1st class only

Once all the bleeting hearts who cant find a rare stone good enough for them have buggered off to the first lounge, Maybe the rest of us will have some room in the J lounge. All I can say is see ya. Not ganam style but Aussie style and drop me dacks as you exit.

Since First Lounge access is a benefit of QFF plat, EK must offer this "higher benefit" as standard for the equivalent customers. That's what the sum of the 3 quotes equals in my post. Honestly the Dubai J lounge is no better than a standard Qantas Club lounge.